Pea Ridge battleground researched
Grid by grid.
Line by line. Experts in geophysical remote sensing crisscrossed nearly every meter, every centimeter, of the Leetown hamlet and adjacent cemetery site at Pea Ridge National Military Park recently. Roughly 30 archaeologists, anthropologists, historians and researchers from around the state, nation and world came to the park for a workshop in the latest technology, presented May 15-19 by the Midwest Archeological Center of the National Park Service in Lincoln, Neb.
The technologies — magnetometers, conductivity meters, resistivity meters, ground-penetrating radar, metal detectors, magnetic susceptibility instruments and drones — are all noninvasive techniques available to investigate historic sites. Participants worked “hands on” in the Leetown area of the park. The grassy clearing was the site of a small community during the two-day Battle of Pea Ridge. Historians believe every available building was put into service as a hospital for the wounded at the battle March 7, 1862, in a nearby farm field.
The effort also provided the Arkansas Archeological Survey reams of data in advance of an excavation, starting this week, by University of Arkansas students.
“We are extremely fortunate to have a group of national and international experts present,” said Jami Lockhart, director of the computer services program for the Arkansas Archeological Survey and an instructor at the workshop. “Going several times over this place is very important.”
“With all the data presented this month, this is really an exciting time,” said Kevin Eads, superintendent of the national park.
Ground-penetrating radar
“Walk straight, and look ahead (to an orange traffic cone on the far side of the field),” urged Salma AbouAly, a representative of the company Sensors and Software from near Toronto. Meliha Dogan was pushing a ground-penetrating radar device like she would a lawnmower.
The radar uses radio waves to see images under the surface of the ground, Abou-Aly explained. This piece of equipment could then provide a three-dimensional model, an image of a slice at any depth and position using the images in real life and coordinating with Google Earth.
But this equipment — and others presented at the workshop — don’t reveal an object underground. Rather, the equipment shows anomalies. A difference from the base reading can indicate the presence of something blocking the radar waves, Abou-Aly explained.
An initial look at the results showed an anomaly at the site of a visible depression in the field, believed by park officials to be the remains of the main road through Leetown at the time of the battle. The same readings continued underground from the edge of the depression, perhaps indicating a road did run here and encouraging more investigation, Abou-Aly said.
Editor’s note: This is the first in a three-part series.